Thursday, February 5, 2009

"Paprika": The book behind Satoshi Kon's film coming in April

by Chris MaGee

If you're a fan of Satoshi Kon's 2007 film "Paprika" take note, the novel on which it was based is being published in English translation. "Paprika" written by multiple award-winning science fiction author Yasutaka Tsutsui and originally published in Japan in 1993 has been translated by Andrew Driver and will be released in stores in April by the UK's Alma Books.

As in Kon's surreal fantasy the novel follows psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba of the Institute for Psychiatric Research as she blazes new trails in the treatment of psychiatric disorders with a machine that allows her to enter into the dreams of patients under the guise of an alter ego named Paprika. Trouble arises when additional technology is introduced that allows its user to combine two or more people's dreams is introduced. Soon chaos is breaking out with Atsuko/ Paprika at its center.

"Paprika" is available for pre-order at Amazon UK, but before you go buying it sight unseen you can read the first 7 chapters which Alma Books have very generously posted online here.